Beauty Beneath
by Nehszriah
Summary: Sequel to my oneshot Skin Deep. AZ romanticdribble that makes me feel sickeningly warm and fuzzy on the inside. One Shot. Read and Review please!


Here's a new Slayers one-shot! Huzzah! Well, it is the most romantic piece of dribble-junk I've ever written, yet I do not care. **I do not own Slayers**, blah, blah, blah... This is a sequel to my fic _Skin Deep_. Read _Skin Deep _if you are thoroughly confused with my story line. It will help significantly. Other than that, please read and review!

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**Beauty Beneath**

Amelia sorted through the mail that had come to the palace. There was loads of it, being it was the royal house of Seiryuun, but there was a stack that had been addressed by code-names. Letters addressed by certain names were always put aside for Prince Phil and Princess Amelia to look through. The codename system always worked when personal mail was wanted. Other members of royalty, dignitaries, friends, they all used strange names when writing so their messages would not get lost in the flood. Amelia's eyes lit up. Apparently, the system worked.

Hurriedly, she rushed up towards her room. The letter addressed to Amelia Usher was not to be read where others could look over her shoulder. Once she was in the confines of her room, she hastily opened the letter. As she read it, Zelgadis's voice filled her mind.

_Amelia,_

_How are things with you? I am still the same. There is a serum in the town I am in that could be a temporary cure. I would have to take it regularly like medicine, yet if it works, I could use it until a permanent solution is found. I will await a reply at the address below._

_Zelgadis_

Amelia laughed. Zelgadis was clearly not used to writing letters. She knew he had more to say, but could not figure how to put it on paper.

_I am glad he is staying put for a response_, she thought as she scanned over the address at the bottom of the page. She was happy Zelgadis was writing to her. It had been over three months since they last saw each other. Three and a half months since her birthday, the day the contest for her hand in marriage ended. Now, as soon as Zelgadis came back, they could be married and become high Prince and Princess of Seiryuun.

Amelia could still remember the look on her father's face when she told him she was engaged. It was a look of joy and confusion. As she took a piece of paper from her desk, she thought about that day she told her father of her engagement.

"_What? That is wonderful! Who have you chosen Amelia?" Prince Phil asked._

"_Zelgadis-san," she had answered._

"_Zelgadis?" Phil's memory slipped for a moment._

"_Zelgadis Graywords. You remember him, right?"_

_Prince Phil went blue in the face._

"_What? Since when?"_

"_Last night."_

"_He was here last night?"_

"_Yes. He is gone now. He needs to find a cure."_

"_He is still a chimera? You want to marry a chimera?"_

"_We thought he was human again, but he changed back. He had found a fake cure. He is returning when he finds a permanent one."_

"_Amelia..."_

"_Zelgadis-san is my choice Daddy! I do not care what anyone else thinks!"_

She had stomped off and sat in her room the rest of the day. Now she knew of her father's uncomfortable feel to the situation. Zelgadis had been searching for a cure for years before he had even met Amelia and there were too many dead-ends to be certain that he would come back soon as a human. It could have been weeks, months, even years before Zelgadis became normal again. If the worst was to happen, Amelia would be an old woman or even dead and Zelgadis would still be his twenty-year-old self, unchanged by the curse put upon him. Amelia understood, but Amelia did not care. She went right on to writing her letter...

**80808080808080808**

Zelgadis sat in the rustic inn, drinking some tea and studying his newest acquirement by the warm rays of the sun. The book in front of him held many potion recipes and spells involving the dissipation of curses. Somewhere in the text there was hidden a potion that could turn him back to a normal human. It was difficult to tell which potion was which, for every recipe was coded into mixes for a vast number of soups. Some of the ingredients and potion uses were easy enough to figure out, yet there were three sets of instructions that still baffled the chimera.

"Excuse me," someone said. Zelgadis looked up to see the inn's owner. He was holding a white envelope in his hand.

"Yes?" Zelgadis asked pleasantly looking up from under his hood. That hooded cloak kept normal people from seeing Zelgadis's chimeric skin, something that Zelgadis was truly grateful for.

"Are you Zelgadis Graywords?"

"Yes."

"This is for you."

The man put the envelope down on the table and walked off. Carefully, Zelgadis opened the letter up, immediately recognizing the handwriting.

"Amelia," he whispered. Zelgadis quickly downed his tea and brought the letter and book up to his rented room. He could imagine her voice as he read the elegant handwriting.

_Zelgadis-san,_

_I am glad to hear you are doing well. Let us hope that the potion you are researching works. When I told Daddy we were engaged, he almost fell to the floor shocked. He does like you, do not get me wrong, but you going about to find a cure for your curse worries him. The fact you do not age as a chimera concerns him as well. I would not mind him if I were you. It is only his love for me that makes him all jittery. In fact, I do not mind if you came home and married me as a chimera. It really does not matter. You are still Zelgadis-san. I hope you return soon._

_Amelia_

_PS: I was thinking about names recently. What are your favorites?_

Zelgadis looked over the last line continuously. What could she mean by names?

_Names_, he thought. He pondered for a short while, then nearly fell to the floor.

_Aw, hell no. She can't be._

Try as he might, there was no other real explanation Zelgadis could come up with. She just subtly told him they were going to have a child. Just spiffy. He had to go back to Seiryuun and marry Amelia now, chimera or human. It was the only proper thing he could do. This would hamper his cure search fore sure, but then again, he would be a husband and father. His curse would not matter. There would be no room for it if he became a family man. All the years of research and traveling would have to be put aside for Amelia and their child. His entire life would become all about his family, everything else then had to be forced into being nothing.

Yet, how could being solid rock simply be nothing to a man?

_I must write back to Amelia_, he thought. Hurriedly, he searched about his things for a pen and some paper. Then, he paused for a second.

It was almost a shame that he could reach her before a letter could.

**80808080808080808**

"He just wrote you a letter a few days ago and that was it?" Lina said. She was sitting with Amelia out on the palace terrace, having some tea and discussing Zelgadis's absence since proposing.

"Well, I really do not think he likes writing letters Lina-san," Amelia said. She did not like it when Lina raised her voice about anything. Taking a sip of tea, she leaned back in her chair and thought about where Zelgadis could be at that moment.

"Well, if you ask me Amelia," Lina said. "Someone who does something like that is no good at all. He abandoned you! Yeah, sure, he wrote, but once in three months!"

"Lina-san, I still love him," Amelia said. She picked up a cookie and took a small bite of it.

"Now if Gourry did something like that to me," Lina said. "I'd pound him into the ground the second I saw him next! Of course we are just engaged, but he would still pay!"

"I do not want to hurt Zelgadis-san!" Amelia said. "All I want is for him to come back, that is all."

"Oh, Amelia, you are so naive," Lina laughed. "The man just got up and left you for his own obsession. Face it. You will always be second-best in his mind."

"Says who?" a deep voice answered. Lina's eye twitched as she slowly turned around to see who was behind her.

"Uh... why hello there Zelgadis," she said nervously as she spied the chimera. Zelgadis just laughed and walked up so that he was right behind Lina.

"You really should have learned to think before you speak Lina," Zelgadis chuckled. He then looked over at Amelia and smiled.

"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia cried out happily as she jumped up from her chair and into Zelgadis's arms.

"Oh jeezum crowe," Lina sighed. "I'll leave you two alone to be all snuggly and stuff." She quietly walked off, suppressing her laughter until she was out of an earshot. Then she laughed heartily all the way to the kitchen for her lunch.

"Amelia, we have to talk," Zelgadis said.

"I know," Amelia grinned. She took Zelgadis by the hand and led him away from the garden terrace.

**80808080808080808**

"So then let me get this all straight," Zelgadis said, pacing inside Amelia's bedroom. "Lina and Gourry are engaged to be married themselves, your father likes me but would prefer it if you found another fiancee due to that damned curse of mine and you only used the name bit to get me back here... is this all correct?"

"Except the last part," Amelia smiled. "I was truly dropping a subtle hint." She got up off her chair, put her arms around Zelgadis's neck and kissed him playfully.

"Amelia," Zelgadis moaned, "are you sure you are... well... you know...?"

"Going to have a child, yes," Amelia smiled. "Why? Are you really that nervous about such a thing?"

"Yes," Zelgadis sighed, cuddling Amelia in his arms. "I think it would be my job as your lover to worry about you."

"You sure are going to become quite the protective husband Zelgadis-san," Amelia laughed.

"Stop calling me 'Mr.'," Zelgadis moaned. "I thought we got over this last time."

"Well, there was quite a bit of time between that night and now."

"Yeah, but..."

"Shush..."

Amelia silently put her finger on Zelgadis's lips to make him stop talking. Slowly, she brought her lips up to his and kissed him. Holding his face, she brought herself away from him and smiled lovingly.

"Did you know that you are quite romantic Amelia?" Zelgadis whispered with a bit of a laugh.

"Actually," Amelia giggled. "I had always thought you were the romantic one."

"Me? Romantic?" Zelgadis laughed slightly. "I am no more romantic than that chair over there."

"Oh, fine," Amelia sighed as she moved a few paces away from Zelgadis. "Now, how about names?"

"What?"

"You heard me. What names do you like?"

Zelgadis turned red-purple.

"Why...?" he asked sheepishly.

"I want your opinion."

"Well, I don't have one."

"Yes you do."

"Do not."

"Come on. Tell me a name."

"Boy or girl?"

"Any."

A slight pause.

"Victoria."

"So you want a daughter?" Amelia smiled.

"That name came to me first."

"Sure. Whatever."

"Garret."

"Garret?" Amelia laughed.

"Yes, Garret Graywords. Why? What were _you _thinking about naming the child if it so happened to be a boy?"

"Zelgadis."

"What?"

"No," Amelia sighed. "I would name him Zelgadis, after his father."

"Oh," Zelgadis said, feeling quite stupid. He sat down on Amelia's bed and wondered about how big of a mess he truly had gotten himself into. Amelia took this opportunity to sit on her lover's lap, putting her arm lovingly around his neck. Zelgadis in turn put one of his arms around her waist for balance and continued to think. "Hey, does anyone else know about...?"

"Our child?" Amelia finished. "No. Just you and me. Lina-san and Daddy do not even know."

"Good," Zelgadis said with a worried look on his face. He wanted to keep their child a secret until the last possible moment, which was ideally any point in time after they were wed.

"Amelia!" Zelgadis and Amelia heard Prince Phil call from the hallway. He was running around for some unknown reason, looking for his daughter. "I have to talk to you!" Phil opened up the door to her room and saw his daughter sitting on Zelgadis, while Zelgadis himself was seated on her bed, after the man had been gone for three and a half months.

"Hello Daddy!" Amelia said happily. Prince Phil just stood in the doorway, still clutching the doorknob and his right eye twitching.

"W-What are you doing...?" Phil finally squeaked out.

"Talking," Zelgadis said. "What do you need Amelia for?"

Prince Phil did not answer him though. Prince Phil hit the floor.

"Daddy!" Amelia cried as she ran over to her unconscious father. Zelgadis stood up and thought to himself:

_Damn it all. Why me?_

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia said. "Please help me get Daddy up." Zelgadis assisted in carrying Prince Phil to a large armchair. Amelia then gently shook her father to wake him up.

"Oh Amelia!" Phil exclaimed when he came to. "Where am I?"

"You are in my room Daddy," Amelia explained.

"I could have sworn..." Phil started, looking over at Amelia's bed.

"Are you alright Phil?" Zelgadis asked from behind the chair. The sound of his deep voice made Prince Phil jump up and spin around briskly, taking a defensive stance.

"What are you doing here?" Phil demanded.

"I _am _your daughter's fiancee," Zelgadis said calmly. "Are you surprised to see me?"

"Yes," Phil said blankly, relaxing his stance. "What made you come back so suddenly?"

"My love for Amelia," Zelgadis said. He did not wish to mention Amelia's pregnancy to the man quite yet. Nobody would benefit from a berserker rage or mental breakdown coming out of Phil. "I could barely stand being away from he as long as I was."

"What about your curse?" Phil questioned.

"I have a temporary, medicinal one. That is all I need, as long as Amelia is by my side."

"Well then..." Phil said, taking a long, analytical pause that nerved Amelia and Zelgadis. "What are we doing standing around here for? There is a wedding to plan!" Phil nearly skipped out the door and down the hall, ecstatic over Zelgadis's choice to stay in Seiryuun with Amelia.

"That was close," Zelgadis sighed as he closed the door softly behind Prince Phil. He glanced over at Amelia and copied her radiant smile.

They were going to be married.

Amelia ran over to Zelgadis crying tears of joy. She kissed him tenderly, thankful her father truly approved. All that could cross her mind was that she was so very close to being with her Zelgadis-san forever. The moment paused for a moment though as the chimera paused for a breath.

"What about the courts and nobles?" he asked. "I remember that they were furious for even letting me stay in the castle a few years ago." Amelia just smiled.

"Do not worry. Appearances are only skin deep Zelgadis-san. Your beauty is not on the surface, but beneath."

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**Things To Know**

Beauty Beneath: Long story. Involves a class.

Amelia Usher: So I was in English class, studying Edgar Allan Poe, and my Sith Lord teacher so happened to force me (as well as the rest of the padawans) to watch the old and crappily screen-played "The Fall of the House of Usher" movie starring Vincent Price. Upon inspection, one of the names in the Usher Family Crypt was "Amelia Usher."

Zelgadis's Cook Book 'O Potions: Every good alchemist and magician and mage needs to code their work and research!

"Jeezum crowe": Yes, my almighty Forkie quote... again.

My last bit of dialogue: Yes, they're title references.

Will the Nehszriah update?: NO! One-shots never update! They might have sequels, but they never, ever update. That would not make them one-shots anymore. I leave room for a sequel, not a new chapter. Please do not bug me about it.


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